Almost all skaters are aware of the newly-introduced linear skates, also known as rollerblades, that involve a single row of wheels supported in aligned relation, for such skates permit much greater freedom of motion for the skater than was possible utilizing the quad skate of old.
One particularly popular support for the linear array of skate wheels involves a channel-shaped structural member that is adapted to be mechanically affixed to the underside of a boot or shoe. The boot or shoe typically has one or a pair of mounting locations under the ball of the foot, and a single mounting location at the heel portion of the boot. Each of these mounting locations can involve either a short threaded stud protruding from the sole of the boot or shoe, or else involve a tapped hole intended to receive a threaded bolt. By suitable tightening of the nut used with each threaded stud, or else by tightening of the bolt into each tapped hole, the channel-shaped structural member can be secured tightly to the boot or shoe.
The Kukulowicz U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,203 entitled "Tandem Wheeled Roller Skate" shows a type of wheel support generally similar to the channel-shaped structural member I utilize for supporting the wheels of my skate.
The channel-shaped structural member utilized in accordance with my invention has an elongate base portion of constant width, and side members in a symmetrical relation to the base portion, with each side member forming approximately a right angle with the base portion. By placing a series of holes in a spaced relation along each side member, a plurality of wheel-supporting axles can be inserted into these holes, so as to provide a proper support for the linear array of wheels.
Either two or three holes are placed in a spaced-apart relationship in the base portion of the channel member, with the spacing of these holes coinciding with the spacing of the threaded fastening means utilized to secure the channel member to the boot or shoe. Inasmuch as the skater may from time to time desire to reposition the channel-shaped structural member with respect to the boot, it is typical to provide holes in the base portion of the channel-shaped member that are elongate in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal centerline of the channel-shaped member. Then, after these holes are placed over the threaded studs protruding from the sole of the boot, a suitable nut is threaded over each stud, and then tightened to hold the channel-shaped member in the position corresponding to the desired relationship to the sole of the boot. As an alternative to this arrangement, when threaded holes are disposed in the sole of the boot, suitably headed bolts are inserted through the elongate holes in the base portion and then tightened at such time as the elongate holes have been moved to the desired relationship to the sole of the boot, and the bolts.
Although the nut applied to the threaded stud, or the bolts used with the threaded holes are tightened in what seemingly is a very secure manner, it is not at all unusual for the channel-shaped structural member to shift its position with respect to the sole of the boot or shoe, this being possible because of the desired use of the holes elongate in the direction at right angles to the longitudinal centerline of the channel member. A shift of position of the channel member may well have a very adverse affect on the skater's performance.
It is in an effort to overcome this problem that the present invention was designed.